The past two weeks at The Ark have been very difficult and sad. From the time an animal passes through our front door we are committed to and became emotionally attached to, so it is not easy when things do not work out.
Last Tuesday one of the pregnant females that we took in went into labor around 5 a.m. Her name is Naomi. The first two kittens were born with no problem, the third came out stillborn and the fourth came out feet first and was stuck. Naomi was in distress and we knew the kitten was deceased. We made the phone call to the vet and to one of our volunteers , Naomi was on her way to the vet at 7 a.m.
Once at the vet, they couldn’t get the kitten out so they had to sedate her to remove the kitten. This confirmed what we already knew, the kitten was in fact deceased. By this time naomi’s heart rate was so high she had to stay at the vet until it came down and she was stable. Later that day Naomi returned to The Ark and started nursing and caring for her two surviving kittens without incident. After talking to the vet she said this was not a normal occurrence and in her 15 years of practicing she had only seen one other case.
Later that week, Lucky our little Manx kitten started having a seizure and was rushed to the vet. Sadly Lucky did not survive. His kidneys started to shut down and his heart was giving out. This dear sweet boy had been through so much in his short life. Despite his deformities and abnormalities he was the sweetest kitten ever. He purred 24/7 and he lived life to the fullest. He didn’t know he was different. I take comfort in knowing that once he came into our care he had a good life. Although he was only 6 months old, the quality of his life couldn’t have been better. We were all devastated to lose Lucky. He made an impression on everyone he came in touch with. He touched our hearts and souls and we will never forget him. Rest in peace sweet boy you will be missed.
Last week, we were asked to help with another stray who was pregnant. This case was a little different. The people who rescued her actually wanted the mom cat back. They wanted to give her a home and they agreed that they would pay all of her vet bills. They named her Chance and were very committed to her. They visited and brought their kids to meet her while in our care. Chance was very pregnant and early Monday morning she went into labor. Her labor was not an easy one and poor Chance was terrified. She delivered three kittens, two of which were stillborn, the third one was alive but Chance wanted nothing to do with it. We quickly cleaned up the kitten and put it with Naomi who accepted the kitten and is now her new foster mom. Chance’s new family will be here this week to take her to the vet and then take her home with them.
It is very discouraging to see so many pregnant females, some of which are just kittens themselves, and many who are just not healthy enough to have babies. Currently at The Ark we have one mom nursing a litter of seven and another mom nursing four kittens add Naomi into the mix that is 14 nursing kittens.
I have come to the realization that the people we need to reach with these articles, never read them, they are not the true animal lovers. They are the people who don’t neuter or spay simply because they are uneducated about animal welfare. They never see the end result — the dying kittens and the adults who suffer needlessly because their owners don’t neuter or spay. There are cats out there infested with fleas, ear mites and worms living wherever they can find shelter and some are starving simply because their owners don’t care.
As long as these situations continue our work will never end. We are determined to make a difference one animal at a time, no matter how long it takes or how much we have to preach.
One last note. This past week a red SUV was spotted driving down Old Woodstock road, it was a very nice vehicle. Just after they turned on to the road the car door opened and a female cat was dropped off in the woods. We know it was a female because it was a torti. The bystanders tried to catch the cat, but it ran off into the woods and they were unable to get the license plate number.
We often hear about this, but never actually expect to witness it. My first initial reaction was “Why would someone do this?” My heart aches for the poor cat. Hopefully the cat will be found safe and sound. We have alerted the residents at the trailer park to be on the lookout. This incident just shows the mindset of some people. Pets are not disposable, they are living breathing creatures that deserve better than this.
Thank you for your continued support and as always thank you for reading our column.
The Ark Animal Sanctuary is located on 101 Old Woodstock Road. To contact the Ark, call 532-7387, check out their Facebook page.
